


Welcome to Burlesque

by wordsandwickedthings



Series: its the 60's baby! [1]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1960s, Alternate Universe - Burlesque Club, Dancing, M/M, alludes to homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 19:38:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsandwickedthings/pseuds/wordsandwickedthings
Summary: Simon is a college student in the 1960s, pulled away from what his friends would call a boring evening to go to a burlesque show at an underground gay club. Despite Simons worries, he can't take his eyes off the main performer who goes by the stage name Pitch.





	Welcome to Burlesque

**Author's Note:**

> this obviously drops hints about horrible situations at the time I couldn't delve into without this being super long, but I fully encourage you to look up the history of gay clubs and especially the mob connection to stonewall in the 60s because it's super interesting and significant (at least to me). 
> 
> I haven't written in a long time so it has been so cathartic for me.

This was the last place anyone would expect to find Simon Snow – mostly because he wasn’t there by choice. 

Underground gay burlesque clubs weren’t exactly something that Simon would seek out. But then again, between school and his job at the factory Simon didn’t seek out something that anywhere that sells food or his own bed much these days. Because of this fact his friends, Penny and Lucas, decided to force him out of the apartment for the night. 

The club was hidden behind an old tavern that was built in the 1800s, the sign hanging above a boarded-up door so faded he could barely make out the words Hanna’s. 

“why are you so stiff, Golden boy?” Lucas came up from behind Simon, tugging on one of his Golden curls. 

Simon rolled his eyes, “because you guys are determined to get me arrested.” 

“gay clubs aren’t illegal,” Penny said, coming up to walk beside him. 

“tell that to all the clubs the cops raid.” 

“And this,” Lucas said, walking up the back door of the building, in the very center a faded heart sticker. “this is why you need to get out of the house.” 

Lucas knocked on the door. 

Simon didn’t understand that, but he didn’t get a chance to think of something witty because the door rattled and pulled open, a man sticking his head out. He was a big man; Simon could see under his button-up he had more muscles then Simon knew existed in the human body. 

Crowley, if he gets beat up, he was going to kill Lucas. 

“Who are you?” the man had a soft voice for someone with a stature like his.

“We’re meeting a friend here,” Lucas looked more nervous now that the man’s eyes were focused on him, “Niall.”

The man shrugged, swinging the door open and ushering them forward. 

If Simon thought he was a fish out of water walking up the club, his fears were confirmed when walked through the rusted door. It looked like any other bar, a thick layer of smoke blurring the people sitting at high tables with drinks spread out in front of them. 

Simon was pulled to a table where Niall was sat at. Simon had seen Niall around campus a few times, and Lucas had mentioned they shared a few classes together, but other than that the guy was a total stranger.

“hey man.” Lucas and Niall shook hands, clapping each other on the shoulders in a far to synchronized way that Simon could not grasp how they planned it. “did we miss your friend?” 

They all took a seat around the man; Simon tried to look like he wasn’t super uncomfortable, crossing his arms and resting his elbow on the table. 

“oh, don’t worry, he’s up next.” 

Penny smiled, “what’s his name again?” 

“his stage name is pitch.” Niall said, taking a sip of his drink. 

Lucas cocked an eyebrow, “is that his real name?” 

Niall gave him a smile, “No. He’ll be out later, you can ask him then.” The smile looked loose on the outside, but Simon could see the tightness on the edges of his lips. 

“mysterious,” Penny said, Precautious Simon wanted to supply. 

“Simon, you need to relax, let me buy you a drink.” Lucas stood up, moving towards the bar. 

Simon grabbed him by his sleeve, “please make it strong.”

Penny laughed, asking for everyone’s drink orders while getting up to join the Blonde – knowing he wouldn’t remember what the other three wanted. 

“Sorry about them,” Simon breaks the silence, “they don’t understand what everyone’s risking… you know performing here…like this.” 

Niall smiled again, shrugging, “I wouldn’t expect them to, and I wouldn’t want them to.” 

Music started playing, cutting off anything Simon was about to say. It was slow, the piano and the drums going back and forth like they were having a conversation. Two women coming out, giant feather fans covering half their bodies; when they moved the feathers away, stretching out their arms so the fans were covering the center of the stage, brushing against each other. Other instruments came into the conversation, Simon could recognize a saxophone and bass. 

The fans parted slightly a figure peeking out from behind them – Simon understood now why they called him pitch, his hair was jet black, falling to his chin in curls that framed his sharp cheekbones. His eyes were pained gold matching the gold of his lipstick, glitter was pressed into the crease of his eyelids, so they sparked against the spotlight on him. He was wearing a dress as raven black as his hair, that left little to the imagination, the lower part of the dress ending at his upper thigh, the upper part clung to his skin coming up to his chest, with two strands of fabric wrapped around the back of his neck to keep the entire thing up. 

Simon didn’t think he had to worry about the dress falling off, it looked like it was pinned to his skin. 

The music started to pick up then, and Pitch moved his visible hip along with the beat, rolling his shoulder so he was standing straighter. He rolled his neck next, tantalizingly slow. Simon barely registered Lucas and Penny coming up behind him, putting an array of drinks on the table that looked like too much for only four people to consume. 

“you okay, Simon?” penny said, smirking.

“huh.” He didn’t turn to look at her. 

She just shook her head, laughing at him. 

Pitch took one of the fans from the girl to his left, grabbing her by the chin to kiss her on the cheek. She got the message, scurrying off the stage, he shooed the other girl away – winking at her and kissing the air in her direction. The raven-haired boy only kept one of the fans, positioning it so it covered all the upper half of his body and half of his face, as he moved his hips in rhythm with the music. Then he raised one of his arms, lowing the feathers so you could see his collar bone shifting along with the muscles in his bicep. He moved his hair to one side, pulling the strap of his dress undone. 

This is when Simon realized that it wasn’t a dress at all, the top falling on the ground to puddle around the heels the golden-haired boy just realized he was wearing. 

Now all that was covering Pitches chest was the feathers, his collar bone completely exposed. He moved his shoulders along with the music and then with a loud bang from the drums Pitch twisted so his back was facing the audience now. He continued to sway to the music, his shoulder blades rolling with the beat. There was another crash from the drums, and Pitch dropped to the ground – now kneeling with his back still to them. 

Simon choked on his drink. Niall reached over and patted him on the back, wearing a similar smirk to what penny had. 

Pitch rolled his shoulders, shimming them to the rhythm.

He let his backdrop, angling his head so he could still see out into the crowd, smirking at everyone. With the feather at his side, Simon could see all of his chest, the rhythmic rising and falling of his ribs as he breathed. The dancer began to sway his hips when still on his back, pulling up his skirt so more of his thigh was shown.

Simon took in a gasp of air, and instantly cursed himself for it, because since they were so close to the stage that sharp intake of air attracted Pitch’s eyes to him. He was suddenly angry at Niall for choosing a table so close to the stage, and at Lucas for making him come here in the first place, and at Pitch for looking at him in a way that made him squirm.  
The dancer blew a kiss at Simon, and he willed himself not to blush. 

He jumped up then, stretching his arms out wide to his side, shimming his shoulders again. With a wink over his shoulder, Pitch danced off the stage. There was a final crash of the drums, and Pitches skirt went flying into the middle of the stage. 

Niall burst out laughing as the music started to fade, turning into a rhythmic background beat. 

Penny bounced up and down in her seat, “that was so good!” 

“Yeah, what did you think Simon?” Lucas turned to his friend, smirking. 

Simon’s face heated up, “uh, it was really, uh,” he cleared his throat, “Penny’s right, it was really good.” He smiled hoping to Alastair his face wasn’t as red as he suspected it was.  
His stumbling only made the boys laugh more. The golden-haired boy downed a random drink on the table. 

Simon didn’t even register there was another group of dancers coming on stage, because out of the corner of his eyes he saw a flash of raven black. Pitch walked out of one of the side doors - instead of his costume though, he was wearing tight black jeans and a loose white dress shirt that was only buttoned up halfway. 

Pitch made a beeline for their table, clapping his hands against Niall’s shoulders when he closed the distance. “what’d you think, darling?” he shoved the sitting boy playfully.  
Niall swat at him, smiling up at his friend, “Your rhythm was off a bit.”

Pitch tilted his head like a dog and smiled, “if you want to take my place next time, just say so.” 

The other boy rolled his eyes, waving his hands to the other people at the table, “these are my friends from college; that’s Penny, and Lucas,” he turned to look at the freckled face at the table, waving his hand at him, “and Simon.” 

Simon’s friends stiffened their giggles next to him. He smiled up at the dancer, trying to will off a blush while looking casual at the same time. The boy was very aware he wasn’t succeeding. 

Pitch looked over at him, the smile he was wearing only making Simon blush further, “hi,” he reached his hand out to the three, shaking Simon’s hand last, “my name is Baz.” 

Niall raised his eyebrow at his friend, who had taken a seat in between him and Simon. “what happened to anonymity?” 

Baz shrugged, “you vouch for them, don’t you? I trust them then.” 

“why do you need anonymity?” Penny asked out of the blue, taking a sip from her drink. 

Simon watched Baz’s smile twitch, but he held himself well – keeping his body relaxed and his smile easy, “because,” his smile tightened, “I don’t want to go to jail just for being me, I don’t want someone to decide my life is his to take.”

“oh,” penny said, taken aback, “oh, I’m sorry I didn’t even think-”

Lucas stared at him in horror; it wasn’t that he didn’t understand how intense bigotry could be, it was that he didn’t think about it often – Simon had to remind him a lot what a privilege that was. Penny understood it better than most, her skin color makes her a target everywhere she went, but even she sometimes forgets that the inability to be yourself freely – to love freely – was a crippling thing. 

“You really have a flair for dramatics Basil.” Niall let out a breathy laugh trying to loosen the mood. 

Simon, however, burst out laughing, a true genuine sound from deep in his chest, “Basil? I’m sorry, I don’t know why I find that so funny.”

Baz’s cheeks flushed pink. “my full name is Basilton, and he thinks he is funny.” 

“Basilton?” Lucas asked. 

He shook his head, “old money comes with weird requirements.” 

“I’m sorry,” penny blurts, “I didn’t mean to ask you abrasive questions.” 

Baz shook his head, “no, no. I know you mean no malice, ignorance is not the same as cruelty.” 

Niall slammed down the shot glass he had just emptied, stating, “well friends, it seems we have run out of alcohol.” 

There was a chorus of disappointment from the table until Baz piped up, “I got the next round.” He stood up to move to the bar. 

Penny slapped Simon’s chest, “Ow!” 

“Simon will go with you to help carry,” she told him, a satisfied smirk on her lips.

Every eye at the table fell on him, “I guess I’m coming to help carry.” 

When Baz’s back was turned Simon mouthed, I hate you. 

Penny’s only reply was to make a heart with her hands and look through it. 

“So,” Baz said when they got to the bar, “you got thrown to the wolves.” 

“you don’t look much like a wolf,” Simon said before the normal part of his brain could stop him. “I mean – you don’t – obviously you’re not-” his stammering fell in rhythm with Baz’s chuckling. “you’re not scary,” he said finally. 

“Thanks?” the other boy asked.

The bartender gave Simon a sympathetic when he came to take their order.

“So, Simon,” the dancer started, “I’ve haven’t seen you around here before, is that for the same reason I haven’t seen Penny and Lucas?”

It took the golden-haired boy a moment to process what he was saying, looking over at his two best friends who had their hands interlocked, “No, no, no, I’m – I mean I like – I also like girls but I also like…y’know.” 

Baz nodded, clearly not fully convinced. He took a step closer to Simon, opening his mouth to say something but stopped when Simon shrank away, looking around in fear.  
“anyways, uh, how long have you been a dancer?” 

“you don’t have to here, you know,” Baz cut him off, leaning against the bar. 

“have to what?” 

“Be lesser, hide who you really are,” he leaned closer, and Simon couldn’t help but take a step back again, creating distance where he didn’t really want any. “You’re safe here,” Baz told him, “you don’t have to hide from anyone.” 

Simon forced out a laugh, “who says I do that.” 

Baz took another step forward, catching him by the bicep, the two boys close enough the blonde could feel the dancer’s breath on his chin. “You do, every time you shrink away.”  
Simon fumbled, and Baz backed off, “I mean – I could be assessing the situation wrong, if I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll stop, I’m sor-”

Simon closed the gap, pressing his lips against the other boy in what he hoped was a convincing answer. He tried to ignore the dozens of people around him, focusing on the fact Baz had wrapped his arm around his back – pulling him closer to his chest. Simon brought his hands up to cup Baz’s head, running his hands through his hair as they tried to figure out who was leading this. 

They pulled away too soon for either's liking, catching their breath. The golden-haired boy couldn’t help the giggle that escapes him when he remembered where they were, trying to will away the blush rushing to his cheeks. 

Then the lights flashed white, a signal that was becoming too familiar in clubs like these. Both the boy’s smiles dropped as someone in the bar yelled out, “Cops!”

**Author's Note:**

> the lights flashing at the end is a reference to when the mob owned stonewall, they would flash the lights wite when raids were happening. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
